Ezreal's magical potential removed?

Flamelighter·Dec 8, 2016·18 votes·2,059 views

Regarding the lore update for the Piltover champions, and specifically for Ezreal, i noticed there is no mention anymore to his magical talent. Sure he was neglecting it either way, but he did have the potential to be one of the strongest mages , and the gaunlet was helping him use some of it without the needed training. While now there is no mention at all. Feels like all of the power comes from the gaunlet and power-wise, he is but a normal human. At least a sorcerer no more. Is this true though, or is it just something neglected to be mentioned? It has caused me a great deal of thinking, as i do not wish what made him special in that manner to be_ completely_ removed and i would like to see what others think about it, and maybe get an answer.

42 Comments

Maximum MordeDec 8, 201617 votes

He lost his map to the arcane arts. I bet that's what Ryze scroll is.

FlamelighterDec 8, 20163 votes

He should have taken that map ;-; too headstrong.

ZydronDec 9, 20162 votes

Ezreal OBLIGATORY "WHO NEEDS A MAP?!"

MelledoneusDec 8, 20168 votes

AP Ezreal nerfs incoming.

GreenLoreDec 8, 20166 votes

Yup its not part of his character and I think that is a good thing.

In his old lore,he really came off as a mary sue,I mean it presnted Ezreal with this really tough choice of either abandoning adventuring or his magic skills,but in the end he got both. Not to mention that his lore pretty much only talked about how talented he was in general.

FlamelighterDec 8, 20161 votes

That didn't change much though. He still got a free power boost, much greater than before. The only difference is in the fact it's all about the gaunlet now.

GreenLoreDec 8, 20161 votes

Well he eventually needed to get the gauntlet anyway. The difference is now though that in the old lore it felt like they were trying to present us with some drama that ultimately didn't matter anyway.

FlamelighterDec 8, 20161 votes

As end result, it doesn't matter no. Same result, if even better. The difference is how much is him and how much is the equipment. I was fine with it being mainly the equipment, but being just that feels a bit too streched to me.

GreenLoreDec 8, 20166 votes

Overall I can understand your point here and I think its mostly a case of personal preference. I myself am glad that ezreal isn't a genius in multiple aspects anymore and think it is ok that his powers come from his gauntlet,but I understand how that might come off as cheap.

FlamelighterDec 8, 20161 votes

I see your point as well and thank you for your input ^^

kile147Dec 8, 20162 votes

Yeah this seems like a better move for his character. A normal human making use of a tool with his wits and daring is generally a more compelling character than someone who is just so perfect that his only real limitation is what he wants to devote his life to.

It gets kinda boring for all these champs to be so good at everything. With Lee's new lore they are probably going to remove a lot of his magical potential that was associated with the IoW, and that's alright too.

FlamelighterDec 8, 20161 votes

I am not sure if it's a better move to get more power with less talent to it. He is still a perfect prodigy that acquired everything in the end. The only part that changes is how much is him and how much is the gaunlet, i which now he feels kind of...cheap. As for lee, his color story describes evidently he can set himself ablaze in a torrent of fire. Sounds pretty magic to me to be honest xP

kile147Dec 8, 20161 votes

Did they add something new for Lee? I haven't seen anything yet but I might not be looking in the right areas.

The only way they could've made Ez better is if they made it so that he got his powers from a collection of rare artifacts, instead of just a single one. Then he'd basically be a cross between Indiana Jones and Batman

FlamelighterDec 8, 20161 votes

He was added a color story, in the LoL universe site. Quite interesting one too!

I came to terms with Ez, thinking that maybe the use of the gaunlet slowly and forcefully teaches him to circlulate his energy into magic. I don't care for him to be a genius at it, and that simple idea pleases me. I would like a confirmation from Riot though xP

midnight oil24Dec 8, 20163 votes

While I still don't like ez as a person, I find that this new lore makes him a touch better. No longer is he the magical prodigy child who just had everything handed to him. It used to be that he could just use the gauntlet with no ill effects, but now it is less powerful. It makes him more human, more interesting, and plays more to his explorer tendencies. Plus, it sets up his eventual finding of his parents, since there are now two gauntlets.

FlamelighterDec 8, 20162 votes

He is STILL a prodigy, was acing everything without a need to study. Just shifted to technological studies, instead of magical ones. And he killed a whole horde of Xer'Sai alone, i don't know why you think he is less powerful, if anything he was made stronger, but all of the power was shifted to the gaunlet. And i think the other gaunlet has already been found and the crystal probably used?

midnight oil24Dec 8, 20161 votes

Yeah, I'm just saying that I like that he wasn't just given a free pass on needing to study magic, because in his old lore he just got to use his magical power with no effort or side effects (besides being forced into the league, but he didn't care about that), and got it from doing what he loved and was at age 8 being given free passes on stuff just because he was able to chart a sewer system.

In this new lore, he's still a prodigy, just for tech and exploration. He isn't magically gifted, and he lost something that did nothing for his lore other than making him look even better. So it's only a step up.

And yes, the crystal was found and used, by his parents years before.

FlamelighterDec 8, 20161 votes

And now he has an overpowered equipment that can get him out of everything. I don't see how that is better =/ If anything he feels like he cheats more now, like a weak rpg character finding an item that allows him to kill mobs 10 levels higher. It breaks it.

We are not sure about the other crystal, just speculating.

Salty JhínDec 8, 20161 votes

I think rito tried to balance that out by saying that it took awhile for the gauntlet to regain its power. Don't know how much that affects Ezreal tho.

FlamelighterDec 8, 20162 votes

But he killed a horde of Xer'Sai. Alone. Power-wise, he was buffed a LOT. There is no balancing, just power shift from gaunlet releases some of his untrained potential to gaunlet is completely overpowered. thank you for your input, as i said i like hearing everyone's thoughts :)

Chromatic EagleDec 8, 20161 votes

I mean, it's a magical artifact, is that bad? It's not like he can solo Rek'Sai.

FlamelighterDec 8, 20161 votes

He killed a whole horde of her clan. Not 3-4 of them. Who even knows anymore! .-. His power is now incredible, but 100% not his(while it used to be a 80-20 ratio gaunlet-his). Which is exactly what i don't like.

Chromatic EagleDec 8, 20161 votes

He's a champion. He does things that the average human can't do (cause he has a magical weapon). Wouldn't be surprised if Sivir can slice through a line of them.

FlamelighterDec 8, 20161 votes

The shurima warriors are known to fight them for centuries, but as armies and with their really really strong warriors. Ascended are pictured fighting them. I would be surprised if Sivir COULD slice through them, actually, as strong as she is.

Chromatic EagleDec 8, 20161 votes

I honestly don't know how the ascendants interacted with the Xer'Sai. Did Riot say anything about that? We do know that sometimes it's just the ascendants who go after things like Brand.

FlamelighterDec 8, 20161 votes

there was this older thread, discussing a released picture from Rek'sai's background , probably depicting Renekton fighting a big Xer'Sai(maybe Rek'sai, maybe not). There has been a long talk about it, and seems it is hinted the shurimans fight those void beasts for millenia, even. They are pretty powerful, nevertheless. Taking a few down should be fine, to be honest, but a horde? I am not one to make accurate power relations, but i feel Ezreal was really buffed indeed.

Salty JhínDec 8, 20163 votes

Yes, it's a troubling question I'm also trying to figure out. I like to pick and choose certain aspects from previous lores and apply them to the newer ones. So in this case, at least for me, he does have strong magical capabilities but just doesn't use them because he's never had the need to until he found the gauntlet. But I do hope someone from the world building department expands on this.

FlamelighterDec 8, 20161 votes

We are on the exact same boat :)

OleandervineDec 8, 20163 votes

The funny thing is, a child prodigy who's got latent magical powers and eventually develops those powers is about as cliche as they come, and the sheer amount of "youth with special secret power" in the media has pretty much turned the concept from "special snowflake" into "take a number." There are even quite a few of the Deus ex Machina characters in League, such as Annie, Syndra, Janna, Lux, Sona, Taliyah, etc, so removing Ezreal from this roster and having his power stem from an ancient artifact he has uncovered, that even has a missing twin, is infinitely more interesting than "god child."

FlamelighterDec 8, 20161 votes

He never studied though. He never knew how to manipulate his magic. Even with the gaunlet all he had was raw power, shooting it like beams. He was NEVER the best mage! It was just a connection he could form with a gaunlet that let him use some magic. Now even the gaunlet is much more plain. Give it to a child and it will be able to destroy a building, nothing that special about it other than it's really strong!(of course it eats on the person's energy, but you get the point.) As for the numbers example, he was one of the first to take a number, but he is also the first to relinquish it. Leaves a bad taste.

tempzkwxrozmzrivDec 8, 20162 votes

It is kind of strange that they skipped over mentioning his magic, and I'm with you, it doesn't feel right that it would be only the gauntlet. There are a few lines in his colour story that could kiiiinda suggest it's still his magic but amplified by the gauntlet, but it still feels like they really neglected bringing it up. It's definitely something I think is a big part of character, even his in-game quotes don't really sit right if all his skill was due to some item he found. Plus he's the only Piltovian character that really had any magic? It'd still make sense for him to have unrefined magic as he still neglects his studies just like in the old lore.

FlamelighterDec 8, 20161 votes

I would totally not mind if he started learning how to use magic because of the gaunlet. I did notice the hints in the color story as well, and to be honest the idea pleases me enough. I would still like a confirmation on what exactly is happening from something official =/

tempzkwxrozmzrivDec 9, 20161 votes

Yeah, that'd be alright too. Just rather they didn't remove it entirely. I hear there's a Q&A for Piltover or something like that tomorrow? Maybe we'll be able to find out.

FlamelighterDec 9, 20161 votes

Glad to here that! Let's keep our fingers crossed :)

Stars ShaperDec 8, 20161 votes

I hate Ezreal as a character so much I can only be happy about that.

On a side (and more constructive) note, the weapon Ezreal has was meant for a powerful Shuriman mage so it's really powerful and not easy to control, kudos to him for that.

FlamelighterDec 8, 20161 votes

xD thanks for the input~ <3

Stars ShaperDec 8, 20161 votes

Glad you appreciated xD

FlamelighterDec 8, 20162 votes

Believe it or not, your comment was the most relieving one of them all! ^^

PlacentasDec 8, 20161 votes

They actually call him a mage in the story which confused me because it previously hadn't mentioned any of his magical abilities, just his intellectual abilities and ego.

FlamelighterDec 9, 20161 votes

It is mentioned? Are you sure? Cause i noticed no such thing O.o Could you find the sentence if possible, please?

PlacentasDec 9, 20161 votes

Misread, it was describing the statues head or somethin.

MogarlDec 10, 20161 votes

If you read his colour story I remember it making mention of the gauntlets use as draining to Ezreal. Even if he isn't a magical prodigy anymore it would seem that the gauntlet does in fact draw power from him.

"I close my eyes for a split second. Energy flows down my arm, jangling my nerves with a pulsating beat as I concentrate power into the gem. I steady my gauntlet and aim it at the largest spider. As the monster opens his jaws I unleash a blazing ray into its mouth, blasting it back into the crawling horde. The smell of burned chitin stings my throat and my stomach churns."

Ezreal is channeling some amount of energy from himself into his gauntlet.